In recent years a large amount of research work has been carried out with the object of synthesizing polymeric materials having high temperature properties, i.e., the ability to retain their physical and chemical characteristics as well as their dimensional stability at elevated temperatures. To a great extent, the demand for such materials has been accelerated because of their utility in aerospace applications such as in the fabrication of nose cones and heat shields for space vehicles, rocket engine components, and the like. Because of their thermal stability, the aromatic, heterocyclic polymers have been found to be especially usful in aerospace applications. Unfortunately, the fused and highly aromatic nature of these ring systems, which give them their exceptional stability, tends to render them intractable.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide improved thermally stable, aromatic, heterocyclic polymers.
Another object of the invention is to provide thermally stable polymeric materials which are soluble in common aprotic solvents.
A further object of the invention is to provide a process for synthesizing the polymeric materials of high thermal stability.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the accompanying disclosure.